Strip-perforator



M. C. INDAHL.

STRIP PERFORATOR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 2 0. 1919.

1,378,414. Patented May 17, 1921.

4 SHEETS-SHEET l.

M. C. INDAHL.

STRIP PERFORATOR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 20. 1919.

Patented May 17 1921.

4 SHEETS'ISHEET 2.

45 FIG. 2

35 IN VE N TOP WYauriz M. C. INDAHL.

STRIP PERFORATOR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 20. 1919.

1,378, 11 4;. Patented May 17, 1921.

4 SHEETSSHEET 4.

\ N VEN TOR Maurif; C fna l HIS ATTORNE Y5 UNITED STATES.

MAURITZ C. INDAHL, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR 'IO LANSTON MONOTYPE MACHINE COMPANY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPO- RATION 0F VIRGINIA.

STRIP-PERFORA'IOB.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, MAURITZ C. INDAHL, a

'citizen of the United States, residing at Perforators; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, andexact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and to the characters of reference marked thereon.

This invention relates to perforating machines particularly machines for producing one or more longitudinal series of equally spaced feed perforations in a strip of paper or the like for use in connection with suitable mechanism such as a type-casting machine of the kind well known as manufactured by Lanston Monotype Machine Company; the general organization of a machine of this kind may be found described in United States Patent No. 625998 dated May 30, 1899. The feed perforations in the strip are adapted to engage with teeth on a suitable feed roller in the machineby the operation of which roller the paper is fed step-bystep through the machine. The same marginal feed perforations are used for the feed of the strip through the keyboard machine, represented, for example, by Patent 944,405, dated December 28, 1909, which machine produces key controlledasignal perforations in the strip, the signal perforations being located intermediate of the marginal feed perforations and having the function of controlling the operation of the casting machine through which the controller strip is fed. The paper controller strip may be such as is illustrated in Patent 857,974, dated June 25, 1907.

The mechanism of the present invention is, in the embodiment shown, adapted to produce the marginal perforations in a controller strip of this kind; it is similar in some respects to the perforatin machine disclosed in-Patent 915,537 dated arch 16,

1909, and the present invention may be re-' garded as in the nature of an improvement upon the mechamsm shown in said atent.

The main object of the present invention Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Ma 17, 1921.

Application filed September 20, 1919. Serial No. 325,165.

is to produce a mechanism by which accurate perforations may be made with great rapidity in a strip of suitable material such as paper. Machines in which thestrip is moved step-by-step are necessarily slow in action as compared with those in which the paper is advanced continuously. Of the latter kind two types are well known, the rotary and the high speed reciprocating punch types. In the rotary type the punching is done by a series of peripheral punches on a rotary member, which punches cooperate -with a corresponding series of dies on a second rotary member between which members the strip is advanced at a uniform speed by the pull of the punches in the perforations. On account of this pull and because of the fact that the punches enter the paper at an angle and withdraw at another angle, the perforations are not accurate and clear cut but are often elongated, rough and fuzzy. The high speed reciprocating punch type of perforator is illustrated in the above mentioned Patent 915,537; the punches enter and leave the paper in a plane perpendicular to the plane ofthe paper and this arrangement is conducive to the producing of perfect perforations. Thepaper is at all times advanced at a uniform rate, however, and

except when this rate is relatively slow and the punch reciprocating speed is extremely hlgh, the perforations in the paper are imperfect due to the drag of the paper laterally agamst the punches. The mechanism of the present invention is designed" to permit of high paper speed without an accompanylng excesslve punch reciprocating speed and to prevent drag of 7 paper against punch or any other strainor tear producing causes. These desirable results are brought about by driving the punches along with the paper and at substantially the same speed as the speed of the paper and reciprocating the punches axially to perforate the paper at 'a time when they are traveling in unison tive details of my invention will appear hereinafter in connection with the description of the embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the perforating machine.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section enlarged of a portion of such machine. I

Fig. 3 is a plan View of the punch'mechanism.

Fig. 4 is a section on approximately the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a section on approximately the line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a section on approximately the line 6-6 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 7 is a front view of the inspector mechanism.

Fig. 8 is a rear elevation thereof.

Fig. 9 is a section along approximately the line 99 of Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is a section approximately on the line 10-10 of Fig. 8.

Fig. 11 is a detailed perspective showing the trip mechanism for stopping the machine, and i Fig. 12' is an enlarged perspective view of the head of a punch actuating lever.

The frame of the machine illustrated C011. sists of the upstanding members 12, the base plate 13 and the braces 14, 14 connecting said upstanding members. Journaled in the members 12 are the perforating device shaft 15, the feeding drum shaft 16, and the winding roll shafts 17, 17'. At one end of the machine the shafts 16, 17 and 17 are provided with gears 18, 19 and 19 respectively, and all of these gears mesh with a driving gear 20, secured to shaft 21. The gear wheel 20 is driven by the worm drive device 22 shown in Fig. 1, this device 22 connecting the gear 20 with the shaft 15. On the end of the latter shaft are loose and driving pulleys upon either of which rides a belt 23, (Fig. 2) maintained tight by the idler pulley 24 mounted upon the idler frame 25 provided with an extension upon which is mounted a roller 27 to engage with the end of lever 28 pivoted at 29 and carrying a weight 30 at its outer end. This weight serves, as will be readily understood, to press the idler wheel 24 against the belt 23 and keep it tight. The idler frame 25 is pivoted at 26 to a bracket 31 secured to shaft 32 slidably mounted in the frame 12 whereby movement of the bracket and shaft longitudinally will move the idler pulley and by the latter the belt 23 between its two positions of contact with either the loose or the tig t pulley on shaft 15. The devices for moving this bracket and shifting the belt will be described hereinafter.

Projecting forwardly from the frame members 12 is the bracket 33 which supports at its end the shaft 34 upon which the roll of paper 35 to be perforated is wound. This slots 41 in the frame 33 and is movable vertically in said slots. The paper travels from said roller 40 to roller 42 journaled in the bracket 33 so that the portion of the paper under roller 40 is in the form of a yielding.

loop kept tight by the weight of the roller 40. From roller 42 the paper travels across a space in which the-punch and die perforating mechanism is located and after passing through said mechanism engages with a toothed feed drum 43 on the shaft 16. After leaving the drum 43 the paper engages successively with the front surface of the automatic inspector plate 44, and the roller45 on shaft 17, and finally'rolls up on a core 46 which is located between the rollers 45, 45", on shafts 17, 17 respectively and which as the paper rolls upon it grows in size pushing upward the roller 47.

The driving of the paper is accomplished from shaft 15 through the worm gearing mechanism 22, the gear 20 and the gear 18 on shaft 16,. which, as has been before stated, bears upon it the drum 43; the latter is provided with peri heral series of teeth for engagement with t e perforations of the paper. The axle 48 of the roller 47 is secured at its ends to the. vertically slidable cross piece 49 which is shown in section in Fig. 2 and in dotted lines in Fig. 1. When the roll of paper on the core 46 has grown to the desired size the frame 49 will have risen sufliciently to engage with an adjustable stop in the form of a screw bolt 50 (Fig. 1) and. raise it together with the vertical rod 51 to which the bolt 50 is attached. This rod extends along one end of the machine vertically and is constantly pressed downward by its spring 51: it has at its lower end a latch portion which engages be- .hind a projection 52 (Fig. 11) upon a bell crank lever 53, provided with a handle 54, and secured to a vertical shaft 55. This shaft 55 is provided on a level with the belt shifter frame 31 with a horizontal arm, 56 (Fig. 1) engaging with the shaft 32. When the latch 51 has been raised, as previously pointed out, it releases the lever 53 and this lever is'*pressed by the spring 57 to rock the shaft 55 and move the arm 56 to slide the frame 31 and associated belt shifting devices and thus shift the belt from its tight to its loose pulley. It may readily be seen that in this way when the finished paper roll on the core 46 has become sufiiciently large the mechanism will automatically operate to stop the further operation of the machine.

The cross member 49 is provided with an angularly projecting frame 58 holding a slidable thin member 59 normally maintained in uppermost position by a spring 60. When the finished roll has become large enough to stop the machine the operator removes this roll and allows the slide 49 to drop to its lowermost position. A new core 4 6 is placed between the rollers 45, and the end of the paper coming from the perforating device is wrapped around this new core. In order to start the cores rotation to roll the paper about it as the paper is delivered to it, the thin member 59 may be pushed downwardly manually. to squeeze the end of the paper between the core and the periphery of the roller 45. This member 59 may also be used in an obvious manner for tearing the paper when the finished roll is being removed from the machine.

The inspector mechanism located just above the toothed feed drum 43 is provided with a guide rod 61 near its lower end' around which'the paper is led in feeding and with a smooth surface above such rod over which the paper runs in its movement to the winding roll 45. This surface is provided with a slot 62 extending crosswise of the paper and being equal in length to the width of the paper except for the marginal perforations therein. Leading through the member 44 from the slot 62 is a channel 63 which connects with an enlarged chamber 64 in which is a filter screen 65 (Fig. 10). Behind this. screen'is a channel 66 leading to a valve 67 provided with ports connecting the channel 66 with the pipe 68 connected with a vacuum producing mechanism (not shown). The slot 62 is also connected by a channel 63' with a chamber 64 (Fig.

9) provided with a filter'screen and this chamber is connected by a channel 69 with a diaphragm chamber 70 in which a diaphragm 71 horizontally disposed is located, this diaphragm being connected centrally thereof with a valve 72 closed a ainst its seat in the plate 44 when the diap ragm is in its normal or upper position as shown. The valve stem extends upwardly into a bore in the plate 44 and is provided with a lower grooved portion 72' communicating with pipe 73 and with the atmosphere through the port 74; the stem is also rovided with an upper grooved portion 2" between two portions fitting the bore, said upper grooved portion being connected through channels 75 with the constant air inlet pipe 76, the latter leading from suitable air compressing mechanism (not shown). A spring 77 is located in the bore above the valve stem and is held to exert downward pressure against the valve stem by the screw secured plate 77'. The plpe 73 leads, as 1s snown 1n Fig. 1 to a motor 78 located in proximity to the latch 51 previously mentioned. When air is permitted to pass through the pipe 73 it operates the motor 78 and raises the arm 79 secured to the latch 51 thus causing the stopping of the machine in the manner hereinbefore set forth.

The diaphragm 71 is normally held in its upper position by the vacuum in the chainbers 64, 64', the slot 62, the channels 63, 63, 66 and 69 and the chamber 70, the vacuum being possible because of the sealing contact of the paper with the face of plate 44. When a defect in the form of anair admitting perforation in the paper passes over the slot 62 atmospheric air will rush through said perforation and destroy the vacuum thus causing the diaphragm 71, to drop assisted by the spring 77. As soon as the diaphragm drops even slightly the valve 72 is opened and a copious rush of air through, the air port 74 completely destroys the vacuum and prevents the diaphragm from jumping up to its normal position as soon as the defect in the paper has passed and the slot 62 is again sealed. The valve 67 is provided with a head 67 (Fig. 8) which may be turned bya wrench, to connect by its passages the vacuum channel 66 and the chamber 64 with the constant air pipe 76 through the channels 80. In this mannerair under pressure is caused toflow throu h-the screen 65 in opposite to normal direction to clear it and blow accumulations of paper dust and cuttings through the slot 62. In like manner fragments of paper are removed from the screen chamber 64 by re. moving the plug 81 in the face of the inspector plate 44 and applying air pressure to the passages 82 leading behind the screen 65'."

The diaphragm 71 is provided with a depending extension 83 which when the diaphragm drops engages the bell crank lever 84 pivoted at 84 to the plate 44 and having a depending spring arm at all times in the path of movement of an extension 85 (Fig. 2) on the belt shifter frame.

1 When the diaphragm extension 83 drops to its low position due to a defect in the strip the bell crank is rocked by it and the spring arm comes against the projection 85. At the same time air from the passages 75 is admitted through the valve portion 72 to the pipe 73 and to the trip motor 78 and the belt shifter frame 31 is moved in a manner previously described to shift the belt to the loose pulley to stop the machine. In doing this the projection 85 moves the spring arm of the bell crank 84 to lift the valve 72 to normal position and at the same time out off air pressure from the motor 78 and allow the latter to exhaust through the pipe 73 and the valve portion 72'. The moof the machine, but the machine in stopping sets the inspector mechanism in position to act again and releases the latch 51 so that it will operate as soon as the handle 54 is shifted to start the machine again. When the valve 62 is thus seated the air exhausting devices produce a new vacuum in the diaphragm chamber 70 and the vacuum system, it being understood that the defect has moved because of the momentum of the machine so as to be out of communication with the slot 62 so that the latter is again sealed.

This vacuum will of course maintain the valve 72 in its seated position. The depending arm of the bell crank 84 is preferably made flexible and therefore yielding to avoid the necessity of providing an adjustment for regulating its position when valve 72 is closed to conform with the position of extension 85 when the belt has been shifted to the loose pulley.

A vacuum pipe 86 extends along the front of the machine and is provided with hoods 87 leading above the dies of the perforating mechanism: its purpose is to remove by suction the nibs and paper fragments produced by the perforating operation.

. The vertically movable roller 40 maintains a certain tension on the strip as it unwin-ds from the supply roll 35. This roller is connected by a depending link 88 with the end of a lever 89 bearing a double cam 90 on its pivotal axis. This cam is rocked as the roller 40 moves up and down and produces equal pressure upon two levers 91, 91' pivoted centrally to the frame extension 33 and connected by rods 92, 92 respectively with the brake levers 93, 93, there being yielding connections between the levers 91, 91 and the rods 92, 92 so that the brakes are applied yieldingly. The brake levers are each pivoted at one end to the frame 33, one on one side of the axle 34 for the supply roll 35 and the other on the other side thereof; the rods 92, 92 are connected with the other ends of these levers and the central portions thereof are adopted to contact frictionally with the axle 34 at diametrically opposed sides thereof.

When the machine is stopped, as before pointed out, roll 35 will continue to rotate due to its momentum and a slack in the strip will be produced which will cause the roller 40 to drop; this action will move the cam lever 89, cam 90, the levers 91, 91' and apply the brakes 93, 93 to stop the rotation 94 secured by bolts 94 to the brace 14' and having a centrally projected portion 95 through which an axle 96 extends above and parallel with the shaft 15. The brace 14' is secured to the frame 12 by screws through apertures 14" (Figs. 1 and 3) in the brace 14. Supported so as to rock upon this axle 96 is the punch supporting frame 97 having dependlng yoke portions 97 for engagement with the two cams 98 on the shaft 15. Above the axle 96 the frame extends longitudinally thereof and holds the vertical punch guiding sleeves 99 which are centrally bored to accommodate the punches 100. The punches are provided with heads at their lower ends and these heads are slidably inserted into punch operating and holding levers 101, extending horizontally from the punch heads to a supporting member 102 to which they are pivoted at the point 103. The member 102 is secured to the brace 14 by screws 102. The heads 101 of the levers 101 are inserted through slots 104 in the cams 105 and when so-positioned rest in complementary, annular grooves in said cams so that the latter produce both the upward punching motion and the downward withdrawing motion of the heads 101' and their punches 100. This axial reciprocation of the punches may be a quick one because the active portions of thecams take up, as shown, not more than 60 of the circumference. The paper strip is led between the frame 97 and an upper member 106 bolted to the frame 97 by the bolts 107, but

separated by packing sufficiently so that the paper has a channel through which it may be advanced. In the member 106 are the dies 108 which are held down by a die holding member 109 centrally bored so that the paper nibs cut by the punch and die may move upwardly through this holder 109 and escape to the vacuum pipes 86, 87. The holder 109 is held inplace by the spring member 110, maintained normally in down position by the cam handle 111 pivoted to a post 112 secured to the member'106. Upon rotatin the handle 111 upwardly the spring 110 wi 1 be relieved of its pressure upon the die holder 109 and the spring may then be moved laterally and the holder removed. The die itself can then readily be picked out by a suitable instrument. The punches may be removed by rotatin the machine until the slots 104 are in registry with the heads 101' of the levers 101, then removing the securing screws in the apertures 14" and taking off from the machine the bracket 14, the frame 94 and the associated punch and die mechanism, after which upon removing the screws 102, the levers 101 and their supporting members 102 may be drawn back in an obvious manner to release the punch heads; the latter may now be grasped by the heads and pulled from their guiding sleeves 99. I

The punch operating cams are keyed to said shaft. The latter cams may be termed I eccentrics because of their action in rocking the frame 97 by a crank motion from a position of rest through a maximum speed to the next position of rest. In the operation of the machine therefore the frame rocks forward and backward during each revolution of shaft 15 with a momentary period of rest between motions. The full punching operation is accomplished within a period of 60 or one-sixth of the time of each revolution and while the frame 97 is rocking forwardly. The result is that the full punching operation, which includes the inserting and withdrawin takes place when the frame 97 is near t e maximum speed portion of its forward motion. The punches and dies therefore are driven along with the strip at practically the same speed as the strip and the latter is driven continuously and uniformly by the toothed feeding drum. It is apparent therefore that the punches .neither pull nor act as a drag upon the paper but act at all times in a plane substantially perpendicular to the strip; the latter is relieved of all strain and the perforations are accordingl accurate. During the return motion of t e frame 97 no axial movement of the punches takes place and thus the perforations in the paper are equally spaced. The machine, as described, is capable of high speed and of 'consequent great capacity of production, particularly as compared with perforating machines utilizing a step-by-step feed for the strip. The invention is not limited, however, to a machine in which the paper is fed continuously or to the mechanism shown and described but is to be interpreted in thief/light of the scope and spirit of the appended claims. v

I claim:

1. In a paper strip perforating machine, the combination with means for feeding the strip continuously at a uniform speed, of a perforating mechanism comprising an oscillatory punch carrier mounted on a fixed axis and having a paper passage therebearings parallel with and on the opposite side of said axis from the paper passage, cams on said shaft cooperating with the punches to reciprocate the latter, and eccentrics on said shaft cooperating with the punch carrier to oscillate the same during thewreciprocation of the punches.

2. In a paper perforating machine, the combination with means for feeding the strip continuously at a uniform speed, of a perforating mechanism comprising an oscillatory punch carrier, mounted on a fixed axis and having a paper passage therethrough parallel with but remote from the axis, punches mounted in said carrier to move radially with respect to the axis to intersect the paper passage, a drive shaft parallel with the axis and on the opposite side of the same with respect to the paper passage eccentrics on said shaft cooperating with the punch carrier for oscillating the same, and cams on said shaft cooperating with the punches for positively effecting movement of the punches in both directions, whereby the punches may be projected to perforate the paper during the time the punch carrier is moving at its highest speed and be withdrawn from the paper before the carrier reaches the end of its movement.

3. In a paper strip perforating machine, the combination with means for feeding the strip continuously at uniform speed, a perforating mechanism comprising an oscillatory punch carrier mounted on a fixed axis and having. a paper passage therethrough at one side of said axis and eccentrio embracing arms at the opposite side of said axis, an operating shaft parallel with mounted 'in said carrier and intersecting theaxls, and cams mounted on said shaft fonreciprocating the punches.

4:- In a paper-strip perforating machine,

the combination with means for feeding the strip continuously at auniform speed, of a perforating mechanism comprising an oscillatory punch carrier mounted on a fixed axis and having a paper passage therethrough at one side of saidaxis and eccentric embracing arms on the opposite side of said axis, a drive shaft, eccentrics on said drive shaft cooperating with the arms on the carrier for oscillating the latter, radially movable, punches mounted on said carrier to inter'sect the paper passage, punch supporting arms mounted on fixed centers and cooperating with the inner ends of the punches and cams on said shaft cooperating with the punch arms and punches for reciprocating I the latter during the oscillation of the carthe combination with means for feeding the strip continuously at a uniform speed, of a perforating mechanism comp-rising an oscillatory punch carrier mounted on a fixed axis in a detachable head and having ,a paper passage therethrough at one side of said axis, and operating arms at the opposite side of said axis, an operating shaft, eccentrics on said operating shaft cooperating with the punch carrier arms for operating the latter, punches movable radially in said carrier to intersect the paper passage, punch supporting arms mounted on fixed axes and carried by said detachable head, and cams mounted on said shaft for cooperation with said punches and their arms, whereby the punch carrier, punches and supporting arms for the punches may be removed as a unit for the renewal or repair of the punches.

6. A perforating machine embodying the following instrumentalities, to-wit: a punch and die mechanism for perforating marginal feed perforations in a controller strip, a feeding drum provided with teeth for en-' gagement with the said perforations, gearing for rotating said drum to draw the strip from a feed roll, a punch and die operating shaft, a cam on said shaft for reciprocating said punch axially to perforate the strip, a second cam on said shaft for reciprocating the punch and die mechanism laterally whereby it moves along with the paper during the perforating thereof and in an opposite direction between perforations, gearlng I for rotating said shaft and a common driving means for said earings.

MA RITZ INDAHL. 

